Fall prevention is near and dear to our hearts at Sole Remedy. Our mission is to give people the tools they need to keep moving, stay active, and live as independently for as long as possible. Our goal is to help people feel their best one step at a time and to encourage an active life over a sedentary one.
Falls are frightening. Even if they haven't resulted in a significant physical injury, they can certainly make you think about the potential of falling again. As a result, there is a tendency to become timid, to be less active, to be more sedentary, to sit more and more and more. The net result is de-conditioning or loss of muscle mass, strength, flexibility.
"A rough rule of thumb for nurses and physicians is that for every day an elderly patient spends in bed,
1% of muscle mass is lost. You’d be surprised how quickly it can go below the point where you can safely stand up and move. ”
Nancy K. Latham, an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health.
Deconditioning increases the potential for falling along with other associated risk factors such as chronic conditions including arthritis, neurologic disease, incontinence, increased use of prescription medications, and age-related changes in balance and gait. Falling can be a game-changing/life-changing event. Injuries sustained from a fall can result in lengthy hospital and rehabilitation stays, loss of independence, or ability to care for one's self or even death.
Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among Americans age 65 or older.
"Deaths from falls are increasing nationally among older adults but falls are preventable."
Burns E, Kakara R. Deaths from Falls Among Persons Aged ≥65 Years — The United States, 2007–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:509–514.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6718a1